Bill Kirby Jr.: Alzheimer's disease doesn't just affect the aged

Larry Trogdon was an athlete for most of his life, a kid who grew up on Faison Avenue in Drake Park and graduated from Seventy-First High School in 1967.

He was popular.

He was a leader.

Later in life, Trogdon fell in love with bowling, and was so adept at the sport that he won a $10,000 first-place prize in a National Amateur Bowler event in Cary.

“I had never bowled for this kind of money,” he said after that 1992 victory.

He loved golf, too.

You might imagine our surprise when classmates learned that Trogdon died Sept. 23 at age 68 after enduring Alzheimer's disease, a cognitive impairment that results in memory loss, reasoning skills and eventually death.

“Early-onset Alzheimer's progresses much more quickly than Alzheimer's developed when you are older,” says Jennifer Briand, special events manager with the Alzheimer’s Association of Eastern North Carolina. “It is not uncommon to pass away in your early to late 60s.”

The disease affects more than 5.5 million Americans, Briand says, and more than 160,000 residents in eastern North Carolina.

“It is the only disease in the top 10 that kills people that cannot be prevented, cured or even slowed down,” Briand says. “Alzheimer's disease begins by taking away your memories, and by the late stages takes away your ability to walk, talk and eat.”

It's a thief without conscience.

Folks at the Carolina Civic Center Historic Theater gathered Sept. 28 in Lumberton to learn about the disease, where the association presented the documentary “I'll Be Me” about the late Glen Campbell and told those attending about the association's work ahead of the Alzheimer's Walk, which is scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday at Wesley Pines Retirement Community in Robeson County.

“We anticipate 250 walkers,” Briand says.

Registration begins at 9 a.m. or register online at act.alz.org/lumbertonnc

“We chose to show the Glen Campbell documentary because there is a stigma associated with Alzheimer's disease,” Briand says about the film that documents the entertainer's struggle since 2011 with the disease that ended his career, and his life on Aug. 8 at age 81. “By stigma, I mean most people don't fully understand Alzheimer's disease and people are not comfortable talking about it. The Glen Campbell documentary does a terrific job of showcasing that Alzheimer's disease can affect everyone despite your socio-economic level, and that it is much more than memory loss.”

It's a living hell on family members, who are relegated to helplessly watching loved ones gradually fade from their lives.

Among those of national prominence who suffered from the disease are comedian and actor Robin Williams, radio personality Casey Kasem, Tennessee women's basketball coach Pat Summitt, actors Charlton Heston and Charles Bronson and President Ronald Reagan. And let us not forget Trogdon, our classmate and friend.

We better pay attention to this disease, because it's not just for the aged. An estimated 200,000 people, according to the Alzheimer's Association, are diagnosed, and many in their 40s and 50s.

More reason for all of us, no matter our age, to get on board with helping find a cure to end this cruel thief and killer.

Bill Kirby Jr. can be reached at bkirby@fayobserver.com or 486-3571.

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